Getting 'In The Zone'

Description

Before doing a presentation it can help a lot if you get into the right
mental state. This is typically a relaxed, focused place where you are confident
and can easily remember what to say and how to say it.

A way of doing this is to imagine a time when you were presenting well. Think
about how you felt, both mentally and physically, in your body. Remember the
sounds and how you sounded. See through your own eyes in that memory, bringing
in into now as you slide into it, like a familiar suit.

If you do not have such a memory, you can make one up. Another approach is to
take on the 'suit' of somebody you know as a great presenter.

Example

As I am sitting, waiting to speak, I close my eyes and remember
a presentation I did to a small group about a year ago. I felt really buzzy and
alive as I talked about a subject I really cared about. My young audience hung
on my every word and we connected really well. I didn't overblow the speech,
carving it subtly from the slides and the space in the room. I used careful
pauses and looked around at everyone as I talked. I can feel that now. I am that
now.

Discussion

Mental states are curious whole-person conditions in which we think and act
in certain ways. We can be an an angry state, a frightened state, a contented
state and so on. We are always in some state or another. For presenting, the
best state is usually one where you are feeling alert, focused, clear and also
relaxed and friendly.

There are a lot of phrases used for the state where you are highly capable.
Musicians call it 'In the zone' or 'In the groove'. It is a state that all
performers seek as they know they can deliver their very best when feeling this
way.

In some ways getting into the zone is like going into a hypnotic trance. This
can sound scary but it is actually a place where you are more in control,
not less.